First of all, I wouldn't call it an organ. It certainly can sound like an organ, but it does not have organ functionality or intent at all. It is an organ in the same way that any divide-down synthesizer can "sound like an organ." A person specifically looking for an organ would find the divide-down section of the MG-1 as un-organ-like as others seem to find it un-synthesizer-like.

While it utterly lacks organ functionality, it has some very very basic synthesizer functionality. It can be fully affected by the filter and anything that affects the filter... envelope, LFO, etc. In the same way as any paraphonic divide-down synth, it is possible to play it using filter effects in a way that very basically says "synthesizer."

What no one talks about, sadly, is the fact that when you add the monophonic oscillators in the mix with the divide-down section, it sounds even more like a synthesizer than it did. Something about the presence and sound of the monophonic oscillators sort of tricks your ear into thinking you're hearing chords in THAT sound instead of merely a divide-down square wave. Especially when you've got a lot of modulation and portamento, etc. going on.

It is also misleading to separate the polyphonic and monophonic sections. It is perfectly possible to play monophonically in the polyphonic mode... and let me tell you that it adds a lot to the sound of the MG-1. That makes it a THREE OSCILLATOR synth with detune for all three oscillators! It makes a big sound! Especially when you've got the three oscs involved detuned, you've got monophonic osc pitch modulation going, AND portamento. While the portamento and osc modulation does not affect the polyphonic section, the stable pitch of the polyphonic section against the modulation of the two oscs as well as the pitch variances from the portamento make a really impressive sound.

The biggest setback regarding the polyphonic section is that they did not connect the "release" control of the envelope (to the VCA) to the polyphonic section. As a result, there is simply no sustaining the polysection without holding the keys down. Boo! Weirdly, the the attack of the VCA envelope CAN be used with the poly section... but you have to be very deliberate about it.

Ugh. I need to stop typing about it and just MAKE A VIDEO.

‎"I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." -Charles Babbage"Unity and Mediocrity are forever in bed together." -Zane W. http://www.youtube.com/automaticgainsay

Automatic Gainsay wrote:The biggest setback regarding the polyphonic section is that they did not connect the "release" control of the envelope (to the VCA) to the polyphonic section. As a result, there is simply no sustaining the polysection without holding the keys down. Boo! Weirdly, the the attack of the VCA envelope CAN be used with the poly section... but you have to be very deliberate about it.

Actually that makes sense from a technological standpoint. The keys act as switches for each note of the divide-down section, so for a note to play the key has to be held down. The keys also trigger the envelope so the attack portion can affect the poly section. But when you release the key, the switch for the note opens, just like when you release the key on an organ. Therefore, the release portion of the envelope has no effect on the poly section. The mono oscillators, of course, go unswitched through the filter and VCA so they can continue to sound through the release.

Adding release to the divide-down poly section would have required a lot more circuitry.

I'd love to own an MG-1 someday. It seems like such a cool little synth.

Two VCO: thanks to the push rods, one can choose several forms of waves at the same time!(from a Babelfish translation of a Jupiter-6 site)

I love that track, RCJ, especially the square wave organ intro, followed by the contained explosions of the snares and that resonant bass sequence that pops in and out beginning around the two-minute mark.

The MG-1 transfixed me one afternoon in early 1983. I had had my CASIO MT-70 for a few months and was ready to move beyond playing sounds . . . I wanted to make sounds. There was an MG-1 at the local Radio Shack, and the clerk let me tweak and play -- "You're a good advertisement," he said. But the folks would not budge so soon after the CASIO. They did help me finance a KORG Polysix a year later, though!

Synthaholic wrote:Actually that makes sense from a technological standpoint. The keys act as switches for each note of the divide-down section, so for a note to play the key has to be held down. The keys also trigger the envelope so the attack portion can affect the poly section. But when you release the key, the switch for the note opens, just like when you release the key on an organ. Therefore, the release portion of the envelope has no effect on the poly section. The mono oscillators, of course, go unswitched through the filter and VCA so they can continue to sound through the release.

Adding release to the divide-down poly section would have required a lot more circuitry.

I'd love to own an MG-1 someday. It seems like such a cool little synth.

That makes sense! Thanks for the clarification.

As the poly section was added, supposedly, as an afterthought in order to land the Radio Shack deal, it's not surprising that they would cut that corner.

‎"I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." -Charles Babbage"Unity and Mediocrity are forever in bed together." -Zane W. http://www.youtube.com/automaticgainsay

ronP wrote:I love that track, RCJ, especially the square wave organ intro, followed by the contained explosions of the snares and that resonant bass sequence that pops in and out beginning around the two-minute mark.

Thanks! That's one of maybe two tracks I used it on as an organ. More often I'd use it like a suboscillator.

The MG-1 is a neat little synthesizer. I think it is a fine gateway into subtractive synthesis. I'd love to find one again for what I paid for the one I used to have, but I think the days of the $250 MG-1 are completely over.

thanks for the link rcj. your "organ" tone sounded pretty good -- at least you made it sound good in the context of that track.

ag, ha! sometimes you get verbose... but it's just about always worthwhile. i was noticing in the clips how it sounded so synthlike with the mono and poly mixed. what you wrote resonated with me. it doesn't sound too far off from a paia oz to me. i wonder if you ran it through some pedals if you could get some dirt or more interesting organ like sounds out of it...

Big open square as said before. I rather like it's limitations for a few reasons. 1 is playing chords on the left and a lead on the right. Another is pretending I have two VCAENVs by setting a long release on the mono oscs so that when I hit a note only part of it has a long realeaseeaseea. I think it's a f**k awesome synthesizer. Also the retrig and continuous modes are often overlooked, but I think they ALOT to an already quirky synth.